From ecouterre: “With the transition to all-digital broadcasts, the planet isn’t exactly hurting for obsolete TV sets. Which is why vegan footwear purveyor Olsenhaus is making a switch of its own—by cladding Its entire Fall/Winter 2010 collection of pumps, wedges, stiletto booties, and knee-highs in an innovative polyester microfiber made from trashed television screens.

“For designer Elizabeth Olsen, phasing out petroleum-based faux leather in favor of something more sustainable is the logical next step in vegan fashion. But the incorporation of industrial waste shouldn’t be perceptible to the naked eye, she tells us. ‘The product needs to have substance to it, so you have to explain yourself or people would never know it was a) vegan or b) made from recycled TV sets,’ she says. ‘It doesn’t have to look an Earth Shoe or a Birkenstock.’

“Besides experimenting with a sole made from recycled rubber mingled with sawdust, Olsen is setting her sights on creating a heel derived from ground-up recycled-plastic pellets. ‘I want to do something abt that big island of trash in the Pacific,’ she says with a laugh.”

This is a great tutorial that I used to practice my own renderings, which can be found in Projects>01. Try it yourself!

From Michael DiTullo: “Below is a quick demo from some simple inspiration images to a presentation rendering. I don’t normally do fashion footwear, but I thought it would be a fun way to quickly show a clean process. Total time from image gathering, to signature on the presentation board was about 4 hours.”

About Michael DiTullo: “As Chief Design Officer of DEI Holdings, Michael DiTullo is passionate advocate as well as experienced practitioner of design. In addition to his work at DEI he is a contributor for the well-known design resource, Core77.com. He lectures at corporations, universities, and conferences on the effect, value, and how too’s of design. Prior to DEI Michael was Creative Director at the legendary frog design, where he lead teams that worked with Google, Motorola, Honda, Braun, Brooks, Harmon Kardon, and Intel. Before frog DiTullo spent nearly a decade developing several product collections at Nike Inc for the Converse, Jordan, and Nike brands, from advanced concept to production. He started his career at Evo Design where he worked for a wide array of clients. DiTullo holds a BFA in Industrial Design from the Rhode Island School of Design and also studied at the Cleveland Institute of Art. His work has garnered international awards and has been featured in many media outlets and publications.”

“A new model of car is being manufactured using three dimensional printing technology. The Urbee 2 is a remodel of the small two passenger hybrid Urbee vehicle that uses solar and wind energy along with an ethanol powered engine. The engine is metal, but the body of the newly designed model vehicle will be made of plastic parts that are printed using liquid polymer and a 3D printer.

“The 3D printing facilities are at RedEye on Demand, a 3D printing production company that helps customers who don’t want to buy a printer of their own, but still want to use the technology. The entire process of printing the car takes about 25 hundred hours. It only has approximately 40 parts, which is very few compared to the hundreds of individual components that make up the average car. Its lightweight plastic frame and aerodynamic design improves fuel efficiency without sacrificing safety. The designers of the vehicle plan to make the end product ‘exceed most, if not all, current automotive safety standards.’

“And the team has plans to take the prototype for a test drive all the way from San Francisco to New York on 10 gallons of gas. What do you think of the Urbee 2?”

From 3D Printing Industry: “The latest design challenge comes from i.materialise and the company wants the emphasis to be on 3D printed designs with ceramic materials. It is a completely open challenge in terms of application areas and entrants can be of any age, experience or geographical location. Unsurprisingly, the one limitation that does apply is the size of the design, maximum dimensions are set at 15 x 15 x 15 cm.

“The challenge was opened yesterday and will run through until 23:59 May 23th Central European Time, 2013, after which time the jury (comprising the i.materialise team) will select one winning design which will be 3D printed in ceramic from a choice of nine colours.

“i.materialise states that there is no limit on the number of entries per designer but each entry requires a clear description and explanation in no less than 50 words. All designs can be uploaded here.”

From COROFLOT: “Exoskeleton- Inspiration drawn from the architectural structure and silhouettes of marine invertebrates, creatures and insects external skeletons. Using the advanced technology of 3D Printing these fluid anatomical shapes are not only translated visually but also in the design process. Nominated for the 2012 Mulberry Accessory Award. Shoes 3D modelled by Inner Leaf (inner-leaf.com).”

From c|net: “The 3D printing movement is well under way — albeit with some hype built in — and Shapeways, a marketplace where people can design, create, and sell their own products, is leading the charge.

“Shapeways, sometimes known as the Etsy for 3D printing, now has 10,000 “shop owners” — people who have designed products, from iPhone cases to jewelry and shoes, that they print out and sell via Shapeways. The New York-based company is building out its recently opened 3D printing factory in the Queens borough of New York City, where its printers are cranking out roughly 1,000 products a day. By the end of the year, co-founder and CEO Peter Weijmarshausen said that he expects to be printing products a rate of 2 million to 3 million a year.”

From New Balance: “Global athletic leader New Balance is proud to announce a significant advancement in the use of 3D printing to customize high performance products for athletes. Utilizing a proprietary process, the brand is able to produce spike plates customized to the individual needs and desires of their elite athletes. At the New Balance Games in January 2013, Team New Balance athlete, Jack Bolas, became the first ever track athlete to compete in customized, 3D printed plates.

“New Balance has developed a proprietary process for utilizing a runner’s individual biomechanical data to create hyper-customized spike plates designed to improve performance. The process requires race simulation biomechanical data which the New Balance Sports Research Lab collects using a force plate, in-shoe sensors and a motion capture system. Advanced algorithms and software are then applied to translate this data into custom 3D printed spike designs.”

From Nike: “The quest for acceleration and speed has long been the north star for athletes across sport, and in order to excel in the game of football, the mastery of these skills is seen in the 40-yard dash. Played out on a national stage in Indianapolis, pro scouts clock 40-yard dash times in order to assess and translate these measurements to a football athlete’s game-time ability.

“Today, Nike Football debuted the Nike Vapor Laser Talon with a revolutionary 3D printed plate that will help football athletes perform at their best. In a version built to master the 40, the Nike Vapor Laser Talon weighs a mere 5.6 oz. and is specifically designed to provide optimal traction on football turf and to help athletes maintain their ‘drive stance’ longer.”